A fourth-grade teacher in a Spanish partial immersion program describes her search for and use of Latin American folk tales to enhance the curriculum and student learning. Excerpts from the teacher's journal over a period of a year, and covering the beginnings of two school years, reflect on her experiences and on student comprehension and…

Developed by the Kentucky Migrant Technology Project, this CDROM contains English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) lessons, Internet resources for ESL and migrant education, and educational games. The disk runs in Windows 95 or 98. The ESL lessons were created in Microsoft PowerPoint and are best viewed with Microsoft's PowerPoint Viewer97, which can be…

A study is described that will investigate whether cultural referents found in the Defense Language Institute (DLI) American Language Course are biased toward North American cultural norms, and whether Saudi Arabian military personnel in language training using those materials are affected by the cultural information contained within them. The…

In 1996, the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) established a Planning Task Force to prepare a plan that would address the establishment and strengthening of linkages between non-credit programs, especially those in English as a Second Language (ESL) and Transitional Studies (TS), and other CCSF and city programs. The task force used focus…

Culture was not considered significant in foreign language instruction until the direct method was introduced at the end of the nineteenth century. By the 1970s, language teachers came to realize that language was deeply rooted in culture and could not be separated from it. International understanding has been emphasized in foreign language…

Libraries have played an important role in developing and operating programs which enhance English-language skills and ease assimilation into U.S. society. This report presents descriptions of the Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) grants which funded library programs and projects benefitting individuals with limited English-speaking…

A study of large group language instruction in Nigeria draws on experiences of 33 teachers providing remedial English second language instruction in Nigerian universities. The report presents: teacher experiences and perceptions of class size (often over 100); a questionnaire used to investigate practices in and attitudes toward large classes;…

The status of a directory of foreign language teacher education programs is reported. The directory's development was undertaken in response to a shortage in language teachers and as an aid to potential language teachers' in their searches for appropriate training programs. The report reviews the disparate sources of information about programs…

A small study to investigate cultural instruction in Finnish schools is reported. Twelve randomly selected teachers of English were interviewed concerning their attitudes about the importance of cultural studies, how they implement cultural studies, and problems in presenting cultural instruction in the classroom. The interviews suggest that the…

The purpose of this paper is to describe current practices in various states used to identify linguistically different students, provide a review of literature regarding recommended practices, and offer alternative practices for identifying linguistically different students. The paper provides an information base regarding current identification…

The reprint of a 1984 article on language teaching for communicative competence focuses on the use of small group communicative activities. The benefits and advantages of small group (two to six participants) communications activities are outlined, including the increased opportunities for speaking, less intimidating context, retention of…

Beginning with three anecdotes that illustrate problems with current assessment practices in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL)/literacy programs, this paper reports a study that involved feedback from both programs and their funders. Literature is cited to show the opposing positions of proponents of standardized tests and those who search for…

A discussion of the teaching and learning of English as an international language (EIL) makes two proposals. First, the teaching of EIL in Japan should not lead to premature replacement of native English with Japanese English as a model or goal of English education. The change should be in the direction of nurturing communicative competence, and…

The Carleton Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment is a criterion-referenced test developed at Carleton University (Canada). It combines logic of performance testing with ethics of gradual admission, i.e., that limited-English-speaking students should be allowed to begin limited academic study in English, based on language proficiency and…

The process of development of a computerized database of instructional materials for the uncommonly taught languages is described. Content of the database includes information on materials for instruction in the less commonly taught languages, some previously stored in a semi-automated file. These include references and information on basic tools,…